Research of Behavioral Context of Trends in Conscious Consumption of Fashion Industry Goods

Abstract

The main purpose of the study conducted in the article is to study the nature of Ukrainian consumption of fashion industry goods for “consciousness” and to determine the present and prospect trends of development. To achieve this goal, the next tasks were set: to analyze literary sources to reveal the topic of conscious consumption; to study the general world trends of conscious consumption in the category of clothing – from the point of view regarding how does phenomenon of conscious consumption is disseminated, and regarding to dissemination of information about this fact; to conduct a qualitative survey of a representative sample of consumers for their behavior in the field of fashion industry products consumption; to draw conclusions about the state and prospects of conscious fashion in the domestic market. The study of literature sources and approaches to solving the problem of the detrimental impact of the fashion industry, in particular the fast fashion sector, showed the need to promote this problem and the insufficient awareness of Ukrainians in conscious consumption field. The urgency of solving this scientific problem is that the purchasing behavior and habits of Ukrainians in the field of goods of the fashion industry is somewhat different from the behavior of European consumers, which is due to the impact of the hard trade deficit during the Soviet Union times. To achieve the goals of the article, normative documents of both international level and internally adapted materials were processed. Empirical methods have been used to describe the general problems of the harmful impact of the fashion industry on the environment and approaches to its solution. The own marketing sociological survey about the conscious consumption of fashion industry goods by Ukrainians was conducted using digital tools. Theoretical research methods such as analysis, generalization, explanation and classification are used. The results of the study may be valuable for top managers of domestic and international fashion companies in restructuring their business strategy and marketing strategy to a more environmentally and socially oriented – respondents demonstrated a willingness to pay more for recycled clothing and willingness to properly dispose of clothing – and these are, in fact, specific recommendations for the development of new collections and ideas for new environmental programs and communication plans. Thus, the willingness of consumers to practice environmental approaches in consumer behavior confirms the need to promote this study among the public and stakeholders in order to raise awareness in the conscious consumption field.